Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm off to Kahootz Pet Shop to buy artificial turf [love this stuff] for Brenda and Horty to go potty on, at my daughters, in Oregon. Her home is surrounded by a forest. In that forest are deer, bear, owls, hawks, mice, etc., etc. If you think I'm going to go walking around looking for a spot, in the mud, for these two to go potty on, you're WRONG!

I'm going to make a spot, right off her patio, while they're both on leash, to go potty on the artificial turf. They've both been trained to do this on our patio at home, they sure can do it elsewhere.

This will also keep them from tracking in the leaves, pine needles, dirt, etc., etc. that goes with her forest.

You can buy this stuff at nursery's also and it's not cheap. I'll wash it off with a hose, pick-up the waste and bag it and save the grass for future usage.

Plenty of throw-away old towels for wiping the feet and we're good to go visit.

Edited November 15, 2013 by wizard-of-roz

[fairbourne]

Just popping in to say Cheerio for now. All packed and four legged pals off to their "hotels" - without a backward glance I may add! They have a lovely kennels and are taken out for walks in small groups, so I think they love meeting with the other dogs. And of course, there are so many more barking opportunities than at home!

 

My cousin has come to house sit and take care of things here, but could not cope with having the two big labs!

 

So early start tomorrow, off to the airport and then Monday we set sail.

 

Roz, thank you so much for including me in the Gang Of Misfits, as I feel I'm a bit of an interloper here, not having a Service Dog, but once I got to know you all, there was just no getting rid of me! :eek:;).

 

Nighty night, must get off to bed and dream of happy days on board ship once again. :D.

 

Hugs to you all!

 

Almost forgot - Happy Thanksgiving to you all as well! :-)

Edited November 15, 2013 by fairbourne

[wizard-of-roz]

Just popping in to say Cheerio for now. All packed and four legged pals off to their "hotels" - without a backward glance I may add! They have a lovely kennels and are taken out for walks in small groups, so I think they love meeting with the other dogs. And of course, there are so many more barking opportunities than at home!

 

My cousin has come to house sit and take care of things here, but could not cope with having the two big labs!

 

So early start tomorrow, off to the airport and then Monday we set sail.

 

Roz, thank you so much for including me in the Gang Of Misfits, as I feel I'm a bit of an interloper here, not having a Service Dog, but once I got to know you all, there was just no getting rid of me! :eek:;).

 

Nighty night, must get off to bed and dream of happy days on board ship once again. :D.

 

Hugs to you all!

 

Almost forgot - Happy Thanksgiving to you all as well! :-)

 

I don't think you'll see this before you go, but just in case.....Bon Voyage and sweet sails to you and DH.

We'll miss you and look forward to a great review when you come home. Happy Turkey Day.....Don't worry about your babies, they'll be enjoying the company of other 4-legged friends for a while!

Edited November 15, 2013 by wizard-of-roz

[rangeley]

Just popping in to say Cheerio for now. All packed and four legged pals off to their "hotels" - without a backward glance I may add! They have a lovely kennels and are taken out for walks in small groups, so I think they love meeting with the other dogs. And of course, there are so many more barking opportunities than at home!

 

My cousin has come to house sit and take care of things here, but could not cope with having the two big labs!

 

So early start tomorrow, off to the airport and then Monday we set sail.

 

Roz, thank you so much for including me in the Gang Of Misfits, as I feel I'm a bit of an interloper here, not having a Service Dog, but once I got to know you all, there was just no getting rid of me! :eek:;).

 

Nighty night, must get off to bed and dream of happy days on board ship once again. :D.

 

Hugs to you all!

 

Almost forgot - Happy Thanksgiving to you all as well! :-)

 

Have a Great Cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rangeley]

I'm off to Kahootz Pet Shop to buy artificial turf [love this stuff] for Brenda and Horty to go potty on, at my daughters, in Oregon. Her home is surrounded by a forest. In that forest are deer, bear, owls, hawks, mice, etc., etc. If you think I'm going to go walking around looking for a spot, in the mud, for these two to go potty on, you're WRONG!

 

I'm going to make a spot, right off her patio, while they're both on leash, to go potty on the artificial turf. They've both been trained to do this on our patio at home, they sure can do it elsewhere.

 

This will also keep them from tracking in the leaves, pine needles, dirt, etc., etc. that goes with her forest.

 

You can buy this stuff at nursery's also and it's not cheap. I'll wash it off with a hose, pick-up the waste and bag it and save the grass for future usage.

 

Plenty of throw-away old towels for wiping the feet and we're good to go visit.

 

That sounds like a great idea.

 

When are you leaving?

 

Sounds like a longggggg ride, with two dogs! :eek:

 

We are dog sitting for are old friend Pontiac. He's a good boy and Wexler doesn't have a problem with him. But his nose is still out of joint. He wants to be the only dog. And if looks could kill, John and I would have been dead last night. Ponty will only be here until tomorrow night.

Edited November 16, 2013 by rangeley

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all: Well the previous reads are just what I needed this morning. I have been a little teary eyed cry baby and I don't know why. Then I read all the wonderful things you guys have to say and the tears roll down my cheeks. I can honestly say I feel closer to you guys than some of the "real" people I know! Sometimes I think about internet fakes and I have to chuckle, if any of you are not who you say you are it would be a good laugh for me! I am glad to know that some of you have actually met and you are "real" people!:eek: I think a "Cruising with a Service Dog" thread cruise would be awesome! Sign me up! :D

 

Ok, heres a laugh on me that was a pee your pants moment! Yesterday, at work, mind you, I had to use the little girls room. As I manuavered around the toilet seat I heard a "crack!" :eek: Yes, yes, a 6 inch piece of the toilet seat cracked off. I started laughing so hard I just knew the office girls were going to break the door in to see if I was okay! Then they started laughing so hard to. It was a great feeling to laugh so hard, haven't done that in a long time!

[rangeley]

Mornin' all: Well the previous reads are just what I needed this morning. I have been a little teary eyed cry baby and I don't know why. Then I read all the wonderful things you guys have to say and the tears roll down my cheeks. I can honestly say I feel closer to you guys than some of the "real" people I know! Sometimes I think about internet fakes and I have to chuckle, if any of you are not who you say you are it would be a good laugh for me! I am glad to know that some of you have actually met and you are "real" people!:eek: I think a "Cruising with a Service Dog" thread cruise would be awesome! Sign me up! :D

 

Ok, heres a laugh on me that was a pee your pants moment! Yesterday, at work, mind you, I had to use the little girls room. As I manuavered around the toilet seat I heard a "crack!" :eek: Yes, yes, a 6 inch piece of the toilet seat cracked off. I started laughing so hard I just knew the office girls were going to break the door in to see if I was okay! Then they started laughing so hard to. It was a great feeling to laugh so hard, haven't done that in a long time!

 

Nancy, Everyone needs a good cry sometimes. I go to other threads and everyone is fighting. We have never been like that, and don't think we would ever be like that.

 

Sorry to have to laugh at your toilet story! Don't you just hate it when you are the one to break the seat? It couldn't have held off til the next person went. :eek:

[MCDW]

Hi From Guide School

 

Wow, am I tired or what? Working flat out 6 days out of 7 days for a three week stretch is exhausting.

 

Misty and I are working as a Team and I am sure the love will come. (My heart belongs to my darling little dude Oz)

 

Misty aced her sounds today for telephone, door knock, name calling, fire alarm, alarm clock.

 

The whole class with dogs and trainers in tow attended the Santa Parade today and the dogs were as good as gold. There are two goldens, one black lab, one standard poodle and two mini's in the class.

 

This coming week we are Mall crawling, escalator riding, go-train riding, subway riding and other adventures.

 

I can't get my computer to work here. But, as soon as I get home I will post pictures of Misty. She is very slender, does not have a docked tail. Is 1 yr and 5 months..(obviously a genius:p) Her colour changes on a daily basis. When we started school, she was a milk chocolate all over. Now only her ears, tail and legs are milk chocolate. The rest of her is a coffee with cream colour. The Guide School has it's own breeding programme and I am told before she is two years old, she will be the coffee with cream colour all over.

 

Oh, the other day there was a woman coming in the building just has I was going out. She had a baby poodle in her arms, who was going for its shots. I asked to pat it and she let me. She asked if my dog was Misty. Yes I replied. She was Misty's foster Mom, but was a little unsure because Misty now has a big girl haircut. Anyway, she is coming for Misty's graduation and will bring pictures of Misty as a puppy.

 

Thanks everyone for your love and support. I think of my darling little dude everyday and miss his little warm body and all the snuggles. Colleen

[MCDW]

hey colleen,

 

i'm real sorry you and your little oz dude are gonna be separated. hearing stuff like that yanks at my heart. i kinda don't 'get' why they don't want a former and a current service dog in the same space. seems like the more senior dog could teach stuff to the younger one--in ways people can't. can oz and misty 'meet' ... and if so, after how long?

 

anyhow, i know/guess there must be a logical reason for the "rule", but i would sure wanna know what the rationale is--before i complied. mostly because, every situation is different and mandatory separation seems like a harsh thing to impose, especially on a person with special needs (depending on what the needs are). applying a one-size-fits-all protocol, as the 'default ruling', seems like it should be thought-out more carefully. anyhow--that's my two cents.

 

i bet misty warms up to be cuddler like oz is--y'all are still getting to know each other. rex was a little stand-offish at first too--now he's a bigole [71 lb] lap-dog. misty will warm up too. confidence is high!

 

funny huh? it's easy to forget how intense/time-consuming the initial training can be. but it totally pays off in the end. keep up the good work! seems like you and misty are off to a great start!

 

For sure Misty and Oz are going to meet. As soon as my train hits the station, I am off to visit with Oz....miss the little Dude so much. He and Misty will have tons of play dates. And, I don't get the policy either that doesn't allow a former and current guide dog in the same house.

[wizard-of-roz]

That sounds like a great idea.

 

When are you leaving?

 

Sounds like a longggggg ride, with two dogs! :eek:

 

We are dog sitting for are old friend Pontiac. He's a good boy and Wexler doesn't have a problem with him. But his nose is still out of joint. He wants to be the only dog. And if looks could kill, John and I would have been dead last night. Ponty will only be here until tomorrow night.

 

Poor Wexy, he's so spoiled. You're a wonderful friend to help out with dog sitting.

 

The weather is getting very snowy on my route to Oregon. That's not so good for my rest stops and the dogs.

 

I took Brenny & Horty to the Dog Park today. I kept Horton on leash, he was so funny. He kept wanting to chase the other dogs but I knew if he had free rein he'd never come back to me. I'll need to do it more and more until he learns. Brenny was so cute. She moved around slowly and loved every minute of being with the other dogs. She didn't interact with them but she sure liked walking around and sniffing everything. She NEVER did like dogs much and as a senior she's even more aloof!

[wizard-of-roz]

Mornin' all: Well the previous reads are just what I needed this morning. I have been a little teary eyed cry baby and I don't know why. Then I read all the wonderful things you guys have to say and the tears roll down my cheeks. I can honestly say I feel closer to you guys than some of the "real" people I know! Sometimes I think about internet fakes and I have to chuckle, if any of you are not who you say you are it would be a good laugh for me! I am glad to know that some of you have actually met and you are "real" people!:eek: I think a "Cruising with a Service Dog" thread cruise would be awesome! Sign me up! :D

 

Ok, heres a laugh on me that was a pee your pants moment! Yesterday, at work, mind you, I had to use the little girls room. As I manuavered around the toilet seat I heard a "crack!" :eek: Yes, yes, a 6 inch piece of the toilet seat cracked off. I started laughing so hard I just knew the office girls were going to break the door in to see if I was okay! Then they started laughing so hard to. It was a great feeling to laugh so hard, haven't done that in a long time!

 

Awww! Nancy, you don't need a reason for crying....sometimes it just happens. It's exhausting but feels so good when we just "go with it!" I swear sometimes I wonder why I don't dry-up!

 

I've met several of our amazing group of cyber buds, as has Cindy. I love every one of them and can't wait to meet again and, hopefully, to meet more of you. I'm as real as can be. Love you girl!

 

Did you pinch your tush when the seat cracked? Too funny! Somebody else probably heard it crack and you were the lucky one to give it the final blow! :p

[wizard-of-roz]

For sure Misty and Oz are going to meet. As soon as my train hits the station, I am off to visit with Oz....miss the little Dude so much. He and Misty will have tons of play dates. And, I don't get the policy either that doesn't allow a former and current guide dog in the same house.

 

Colleen, thanks for sharing your experiences in training......it reminds me of how tiring and exhausting the whole experience is. I have to go for re-certification next month and although I love being with other classmates, trainers and the dogs, I know it's going to be grueling!!!!

 

I can't wait until Oz meets Misty. It'll be tough for you to leave him there. You'll need to prepare yourself to be strong and brave!

I can't wait to see pictures of your new partner.

Good luck, stay strong and try and enjoy the rest of your training time.

Edited November 17, 2013 by wizard-of-roz

[frecgenswl82]

There was a nice story on CBS tonight about service dogs. They had a man that had a service dog for a spinal problem. He was talking about how another man passed a dog off as a service dog. They also had the President of Cainine Companions on and she talked about how easy it was to pass off regular dogs as service dogs. Very nice story. Thought of all of you that have SERVICE animals to help you in your daily lives. Also how you have educated us that don't have service animals how to possibly detect a fake service animal. Thanks for all you do to help us. Susan a lurker.

[cjborne2]

I love Dean Koontz books! The first one I read was Lightning back in 1989. I bought it at a flea market in California. He was writing about places in the book we had just visited so I could picture it well. Whispers was one I could not read at night. Gave me the creeps. I love the Odd Thomas series and the Chris Snow series as well. They are not as creepy. My two favorites, though, are the first two in his Frankenstein series.

[rangeley]

check this out

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50159362n&tag=api

[rangeley]

Hi From Guide School

 

Wow, am I tired or what? Working flat out 6 days out of 7 days for a three week stretch is exhausting.

 

Misty and I are working as a Team and I am sure the love will come. (My heart belongs to my darling little dude Oz)

 

Misty aced her sounds today for telephone, door knock, name calling, fire alarm, alarm clock.

 

The whole class with dogs and trainers in tow attended the Santa Parade today and the dogs were as good as gold. There are two goldens, one black lab, one standard poodle and two mini's in the class.

 

This coming week we are Mall crawling, escalator riding, go-train riding, subway riding and other adventures.

 

I can't get my computer to work here. But, as soon as I get home I will post pictures of Misty. She is very slender, does not have a docked tail. Is 1 yr and 5 months..(obviously a genius:p) Her colour changes on a daily basis. When we started school, she was a milk chocolate all over. Now only her ears, tail and legs are milk chocolate. The rest of her is a coffee with cream colour. The Guide School has it's own breeding programme and I am told before she is two years old, she will be the coffee with cream colour all over.

 

Oh, the other day there was a woman coming in the building just has I was going out. She had a baby poodle in her arms, who was going for its shots. I asked to pat it and she let me. She asked if my dog was Misty. Yes I replied. She was Misty's foster Mom, but was a little unsure because Misty now has a big girl haircut. Anyway, she is coming for Misty's graduation and will bring pictures of Misty as a puppy.

 

Thanks everyone for your love and support. I think of my darling little dude everyday and miss his little warm body and all the snuggles. Colleen

 

Colleen, Hang in there!! I know how exhausting training can be. I bet you will be in love with Misty before you know it! We can't wait to see some pics of her.

[rangeley]

Poor Wexy, he's so spoiled. You're a wonderful friend to help out with dog sitting.

 

The weather is getting very snowy on my route to Oregon. That's not so good for my rest stops and the dogs.

 

I took Brenny & Horty to the Dog Park today. I kept Horton on leash, he was so funny. He kept wanting to chase the other dogs but I knew if he had free rein he'd never come back to me. I'll need to do it more and more until he learns. Brenny was so cute. She moved around slowly and loved every minute of being with the other dogs. She didn't interact with them but she sure liked walking around and sniffing everything. She NEVER did like dogs much and as a senior she's even more aloof!

 

Wexler hates the dog park!!! They just built one in our town. They put down pea stone for the base, and at night sprinklers pop up and wash away all the pee and other nasty things. Wex does not like the feeling of the stones on his paws at all. He is much more of a people dog. He would rather hang around with people than dogs. :confused:

[rangeley]

There was a nice story on CBS tonight about service dogs. They had a man that had a service dog for a spinal problem. He was talking about how another man passed a dog off as a service dog. They also had the President of Cainine Companions on and she talked about how easy it was to pass off regular dogs as service dogs. Very nice story. Thought of all of you that have SERVICE animals to help you in your daily lives. Also how you have educated us that don't have service animals how to possibly detect a fake service animal. Thanks for all you do to help us. Susan a lurker.

 

Susan welcome! I just posted the story above.

[wizard-of-roz]

There was a nice story on CBS tonight about service dogs. They had a man that had a service dog for a spinal problem. He was talking about how another man passed a dog off as a service dog. They also had the President of Cainine Companions on and she talked about how easy it was to pass off regular dogs as service dogs. Very nice story. Thought of all of you that have SERVICE animals to help you in your daily lives. Also how you have educated us that don't have service animals how to possibly detect a fake service animal. Thanks for all you do to help us. Susan a lurker.

 

Hi Susan, thanks for writing in. We love to hear from folks just like you. You are no longer a lurker. You've graduated.

My friend was at the Post Office on Saturday and she said there was a woman with a minature poodle, on leash, who was yipping and yapping at everyone who walked by and finally was moving so much it had entangled the woman with the leash around both her legs. The mailperson behind the counter said, "you can not bring a dog into the post office", at which the entangled woman replied, "this is my Service Dog!" The mailperson then said, "please make sure your dog is wearing some sort of I.D. next time you come in."

Can you find all the "wrongs" in the above paragraph. Certainly all of you who own a Service Dog and even you who don't know what the problems are......

1. A Service Dog would have no need to Yip and Yap in public.

2. A Service Dog does NOT need to wear any identifying capes/scarves or badges.

3. The mailperson has the right to ask the person with the yipper: What task does your dog perform for you? She may not ask, "what's wrong with you?"

4. If the dog is a nuisance to others, the person may be asked to leave by not only the mailperson, but by a customer in the establishment.

5. A true Service Animal is INVISIBLE. It acts with respect to others in public and does not make noise as to disturb others. And, if it was alerting it's handler it would be doing it in such a way that only the handler and dog would be aware of. It can be so subtle that no one else would even notice.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Wexler hates the dog park!!! They just built one in our town. They put down pea stone for the base, and at night sprinklers pop up and wash away all the pee and other nasty things. Wex does not like the feeling of the stones on his paws at all. He is much more of a people dog. He would rather hang around with people than dogs. :confused:

 

That sounds alot like Orson. :D

[wizard-of-roz]

I love Dean Koontz books! The first one I read was Lightning back in 1989. I bought it at a flea market in California. He was writing about places in the book we had just visited so I could picture it well. Whispers was one I could not read at night. Gave me the creeps. I love the Odd Thomas series and the Chris Snow series as well. They are not as creepy. My two favorites, though, are the first two in his Frankenstein series.

 

Have you read any of his stories about "Trixie", his released Service Dog, who flunked-out of training because she had bad knees or hip, it was something physical.

He and his wife, Gerta, fell so madly in love with Trixie that a whole series of stories was written about her and their adventures and it's really what got him started on his donated to CCI and making them his charity of choice. Thank goodness!

The CCI office in Oceanside, CA is named; The Dean & Gerta Koontz Campus. I think they may have added Trixie's name to the title, I'm not sure.

[wizard-of-roz]

Wexler hates the dog park!!! They just built one in our town. They put down pea stone for the base, and at night sprinklers pop up and wash away all the pee and other nasty things. Wex does not like the feeling of the stones on his paws at all. He is much more of a people dog. He would rather hang around with people than dogs. :confused:

 

Just like Brenda, she only loves Horton. Horty loves everybody.....he's an attention hog all the time! In order to make him stop looking for all the attention I ask guests to completely ignore him.

I've never liked taking the dog out of the room. He has to learn to be appropriately sociable and he has to learn when it's okay to visit and when it's time to go to your bed and "chill!"

If I have to I take him to his bed, which is in the living room and ask him to "wait."

[wizard-of-roz]

check this out

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50159362n&tag=api

 

Great story and so true. Thanks for posting it.

I wish there was a fine imposed on the imposters. Maybe that would stop them!

They're making it so much harder for people like me!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

That sounds like a great idea.

 

When are you leaving?

 

Sounds like a longggggg ride, with two dogs! :eek:

 

quote]

 

It is a looooonnnnng ride.....I'm starting out on Saturday, Nov. 23rd, I'll stay in Redding, CA on Saturday night and then drive on to Eugene on Sunday. I'll be staying at my daughter Lisa's until Friday morning, then I'll head towards home in the morning and stop to see my other daughter, Robyn. She lives near San Francisco, then I'll drive home to L.A. on Saturday morning.

The drive is so filled with the beauty and grace of our Pacific Northwest. My only worry is snow near the Cascades and into Oregon and then more of the same when I head back home. Thank goodness I have a big SUV.

Please say a prayer for my little "Betty White" [brenda], she has to get in and out of my car via a ramp. I'll be especially gentle on her! She loves road trips and does really well in her bed in the back. She can lay down, stand or sit. She has the warmth of the heater and of course her water bowl if she's thirsty.

 

When I stop in Redding we're all sleeping in the hotel just to get away from the car for a bit and then right back in in the morning.

 

There's an amazingly beautiful rest stop along Interstate 5, near the Cascade Mountains, I hope to be able to walk the kids before I venture out onto the Oregon Trail.

Edited November 18, 2013 by wizard-of-roz

[DisneyKidsDad]

That sounds like a great idea.

 

When are you leaving?

 

Sounds like a longggggg ride, with two dogs! :eek:

 

quote]

 

It is a looooonnnnng ride.....I'm starting out on Saturday, Nov. 23rd, I'll stay in Redding, CA on Saturday night and then drive on to Eugene on Sunday. I'll be staying at my daughter Lisa's until Friday morning, then I'll head towards home in the morning and stop to see my other daughter, Robyn. She lives near San Francisco, then I'll drive home to L.A. on Saturday morning.

 

The drive is so filled with the beauty and grace of our Pacific Northwest. My only worry is snow near the Cascades and into Oregon and then more of the same when I head back home. Thank goodness I have a big SUV.

 

Please say a prayer for my little "Betty White" [brenda], she has to get in and out of my car via a ramp. I'll be especially gentle on her! She loves road trips and does really well in her bed in the back. She can lay down, stand or sit. She has the warmth of the heater and of course her water bowl if she's thirsty.

 

When I stop in Redding we're all sleeping in the hotel just to get away from the car for a bit and then right back in in the morning.

 

There's an amazingly beautiful rest stop along Interstate 5, near the Cascade Mountains, I hope to be able to walk the kids before I venture out onto the Oregon Trail.

 

 

Sounds like a great spot for pictures. hint...hint :D